RALEIGH – Listening to what people, particularly politicians, say is one thing; watching what they do is another. Judging by his actions during this crisis, Lieutenant Governor Dan Forest would measure up well when doing the latter.

Forest, a 2020 gubernatorial candidate, put his campaign on hold when it became clear how devastating the economic impact of mandated shutdown policies were going to be. Since then, nearly all the press Forest has received has been for his actions to help North Carolinians who are struggling. The most recent example is this Daily Caller piece highlighting how a struggling veteran business owner, down to selling his Bronze Star to help save his wife’s gymnastics center, was helped when Forest purchased the medal, only to give it back.

Mr. Nelson had previously posted online that he was selling his Bronze Star in a desperate effort to keep his wife’s gymnastics business afloat as COVID-19 restrictions shut down her gym.

“North Carolina Lieutenant Governor Dan Forest purchased a veteran’s Bronze Star and immediately returned it in order to help his family make ends meet during the coronavirus pandemic, the Lt. Governor’s staff told the Daily Caller.

In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, the Old Town Gymnastics Academy in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, faced the possibility of closing its doors when owner Dawn Nelson was unable to receive a federal loan from the Paycheck Protection Program. She had spent her savings trying to keep the gymnastics academy alive and was nearly forced to lay off all her staff and permanently shut down her business.

“It meant a lot to me, but the Bronze Star is just a material thing. What really means the world to you is your wife and your children,” Nelson told the Dan Forest staff.

“We all have to sacrifice in times of need, and now is one of them,” he added.

Dan Forest has committed his time to helping the community during the coronavirus pandemic. In North Carolina, unemployment claims have skyrocketed to over 1 million, which is equivalent to 20% of the state’s workforce, according to the Winston-Salem Journal.

“As soon as things started to shut down around North Carolina,” the Lt. Governor told the Daily Caller, “we realized this was going to be pretty bad.” […]”

And it has been, very bad. Forest was among the majority of Council of State members that did not concur with Governor Roy Cooper’s decision to unilaterally close restaurants and bars citing the destructive effects a blanket policy would have on the livelihoods of North Carolinians. The Left and their friends in the press scolded Forest when questioned the legitimacy of Cooper’s order despite lacking the required concurrence, admonishing him for daring to question the leader during a deadly crisis, but his concerns could not have been better placed.

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When evaluating who should lead this state as governor come this November, we hope North Carolinians look to the actions of Forest and see what real leadership looks like.